Avenged Sevenfold looks back to go forward

Decades after the first groupies stroked the egos of the original gods of thunder, the hard rock dream can still seem so glamorous. To be up on the stage, bathed in bright lights, enveloped by roaring cheers from thousands of loyal fans who know every word of your pored-over labors of love – it’s a shining moment, the ultimate goal for most musicians. And it’s instantly followed by after-parties filled with more adulation and, hopefully, a good deal of reckless debauchery.

Yet, like so many other big names in metal before him, when Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows steps off-stage and removes his signature mirrored aviator sunglasses, he’s just a normal dude – a member of something that’s become not so much a band as a brotherhood.

We caught up with Shadows, along with bassist Johnny Christ, new drummer Arin Ilejay and guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, at a recording studio in Costa Mesa last month. The quintet – formed in Huntington Beach in 1999 while everyone (including late anchor Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan) were in high school – treat each other like family more than ever.

Mere weeks before releasing their sixth album, Hail to the King (due Tuesday), and readying for an upcoming tour, which kicks off with a free fan-appreciation show Monday night at the Hollywood Palladium, their excitement was palpable amid questions, photo shoots and a steady stream of teasing, often involving their birth names instead of their monikers. As Ilejay points out, it’s this consistently friendly “hazing,” where everyone laughs and nothing is taken to heart, that keeps the band sane and comfortable.

Following the devastating loss of Sullivan in December 2009, A7X headed into the studio heavy-hearted to record its fifth album, Nightmare, its biggest success to date. Enlisting Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, the band toured extensively following the May 2010 release, a worldwide stint that ran until late 2011. Portnoy was eventually permanently replaced by Ilejay, former backbone for hardcore band Confide.

Returning to their O.C. homes, they took an extended break – spent time with their wives, family and friends, surfed and golfed, hit up some of their favorite restaurants and bars, and adjusted to life without Sullivan. Shadows and his missus welcomed a son, and with the responsibility of fatherhood came time to focus, finding solace on numerous local golf courses.

He laughs when compared to shock-rock legend Alice Cooper, also an avid duffer.

“Hey man, I’ll take that,” he says with a smile while quickly eating a salad with lemon chicken breast between photos. “I mean, look at his career. He’s got it right.”

FINDING INSPIRATION IN THE PAST

To prepare for Hail to the King, Gates and Shadows spent a lot of time at each other’s homes listening to a variety of rock music, going back to the basics and artists that many of their heroes list as influences. They broke down as many tracks as they could, and Gates recalls having mind-blowing, lengthy philosophical discussions about AC/DC and the Rolling Stones.

The idea, they say, was to strip everything back and simplify, cut out much of the dueling guitars, the Queen-style backing vocals. Instead, they aimed to create a harder-hitting and heavier album that would become its biggest-sounding release.

“It was exciting to get back in the saddle and reassure ourselves that we could still do it,” Gates says. “We had such a clear vision of what we wanted with this record, (more) than we had on any other record before.”

“It was just all so simple,” Shadows continues. “But if you add one bad riff or just one bad little note, it just destroys everything. Those guys (AC/DC and the Stones) are geniuses at what they do because most bands can’t contain themselves – they have to (mess) it up. So we did our best not to (mess) it up.”

Now, almost 15 years into its career, A7X has established itself as a solid presence in metal. Not only has it toured with the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slipknot, but those forebears and peers have become close friends and mentors, helping show the guys the ropes, how to nurture their talents and shrug off hurtful criticism.

“In the metal community, as soon as you get any sort of success, people say you’re not metal enough, no matter what,” Shadows says. “If we listened to that, we might as well quit tomorrow. It’s such a non-factor now, but having friends like Metallica or Iron Maiden or Slipknot – they’ve all gone through that same thing. Even they’re not big enough to get away from that.

“I mean, if you’re going to say that about Metallica, then go ahead and say it about us, too. We don’t care.”

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PARTY

Given its reputation for elaborate staging, complete with a larger-than-life skull with bat wings that spews forth plenty of pyro along with top-dollar lighting effects, it’s easy to assume that life in A7X is a huge party overflowing with mayhem and excess. But to them it’s business. There are still occasional rowdy nights when the alcohol flows freely, but Gates says many of their old habits “had to die along with our brother Jimmy.”

“Now we’re a little older,” Shadows adds. “We’ve never been intoxicated and wanted to go on stage. We’ve never wanted to compromise our show in that way. We’re normal dudes, really – we play videogames, we go to the gym. On our days off, people can use their imaginations as to what we do. But really we are just normal.”

Locally, Avenged Sevenfold had been a well-known budding force since the dawn of the past decade, standing out among a slew of other O.C.-based heavy acts that are now either hibernating or defunct: Atreyu, Bleeding Through, Thrice, Eighteen Visions. To those outside of this region or less familiar with the hardcore scene, this bunch of loud, dark-clothed, over-the-top players seemed to come out of nowhere with the more metal-tinged 2005 breakthrough City of Evil and a surprising best new artist win at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, where A7X stunningly beat out Rihanna, Chris Brown, Panic! at the Disco, Angels & Airwaves and James Blunt.

“We’ve had some huge moments,” Gates says. “But we’ve always been on a steady, gentle, upward slope, and I think that keeps us grounded. There’s been no overnight success here and we haven’t dealt with a whole lot of hot and cold.”

“We’re lucky to have such great fans that have stood by us, let us be us and try new things,” Johnny Christ adds. “It’s a trip now that other bands are saying that they look up to us. In my mind I’m still 18 years old trying to emulate Pantera in my bedroom.

“But we’re starting to get to that ‘test of time’ area. Hopefully we’ll get past that and become the band that stood the test of time. Right now we’re just cranking away while we still have youth in us.”

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